The ROTA!, Kana, masq & prep ranges by Ciret have become some of my go-to brands for my professional work needs. I swear by their brushes like the Kana Star, which is a great all-rounder brush, or the high quality paint rollers from ROTA!.
When it comes to preparation products like filling or stripping knives, I swear by classic tools that have stainless-steel blades and traditional wooden handles. The Premier Scale Tang range offers exactly that – quality stainless or carbon-steel blades combined with traditional riveted rosewood handles. Beautiful.
Alongside traditional preparation tools, prep offers a Premier Heavy Duty range that have soft grip rubber handles rather than wooden handles. I personally wouldn’t choose a tool with a rubber handle, but last month I got the chance to test the Heavy Duty Filling Knife that was designed for professional decorators and DIYers that want to invest into a quality product.
As I already mentioned, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to prep tools, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this premium filling knife.
My first impressions were that the handle felt very nice in the hand, it had a good grip to it and the thumb rest made the knife even more comfortable to hold. The rubber felt really good quality, it didn’t get slippery when I put some water on it and I don’t believe that the rubber would disintegrate like I’ve experienced many times with cheaper products.
A heavy-duty metal base at the end of the knife can be used like a hammer and could come in very handy. The blade, which is made of ground carbon steel, has good flexibility and worked great for skim filling. It didn’t drag the filler out like cheaper filling blades do sometimes.
To give the filler knife the ultimate test, I used it with various fillers such as a powdered filler, Red Devil’s Lightweight Filler and a two-part wood filler. All three types of filler were no problem for the prep Heavy Duty Filling knife. It filled and skimmed the surface leaving a perfectly smooth finish. Furthermore, the knife was easy to clean and is now safely stored away with my other painting and decorating tools.
A little extra tip. I always find filling knives ideal for stripping the top layer of wallpaper, the blade is thin enough and flexible enough to get under the top layer of paper brilliantly. I’m aware that there is a tool for this job too :D. Perhaps I’ll try out the prep Heavy Duty Stripping Knife for removing old paint and wallpaper next.
Summary
I was positively surprised with the prep Heavy Duty Filling Knife and must say that the soft grip rubber handle has made me question my traditional tool choice that has a wooden handle. It is comfortable to hold for longer time and does a great job. I suppose it’s a personal choice, but I would recommend this tool to professionals and I’m definitely planning on using it again.